An electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, can be generally characterized as a short term burst of electromagnetic radiation generated by either natural or man-made activities. Most commonly, however, the term “EMP” is used to specifically describe the electromagnetic burst generated in association with the detonation of a nuclear weapon. Thus, the term “EMP” as used herein refers to the electromagnetic pulse generated by a weapon such as a nuclear weapon or a non-nuclear EMP weapon.
The EMP from such a weapon is capable of inducing voltages and corresponding currents into electrical systems such as wide-area power distribution grids, as well as into the electrical systems of homes, commercial buildings, and even vehicle electrical systems. Unless prevented or suppressed, that unwanted induced current can damage or destroy components within the affected electrical systems, diminishing the operability of the electrical system or oftentimes rendering it unusable until repaired. Again, it is understood that a massive solar event may create a similar electrical catastrophe. For instance, a coronal mass ejection is a sun eruption of super-hot plasma that spews charged particles across the solar system and may induce over-currents in the electrical grid, overheating of transformers, and cause mass failure within the electrical grid.
While surge suppressors for electrical systems are known in the art, those suppressors are typically optimized for use only with surges of relatively short duration caused by commonly occurring phenomena, such as lightning strikes or electrical system failures (e.g., the failure of a transformer in the power distribution grid or a short introduced across electrical lines). Those known surge suppressors, however, are generally ineffective against the complex, multiple surges caused or generated by a weapon-induced EMP pulse.
Unlike the electromagnetic radiation or pulse associated with common phenomena, the EMP generated by a nuclear weapon comprises multiple pulses of varying duration, such that the EMP is more accurately considered as a complex, electromagnetic multi-pulse, usually described in terms of three primary components defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as E1, E2, and E3.
Thus, because of the complex nature of an EMP pulse, comprised of E1, E2, and E3 components, it can be seen that there remains a need in the art for an improved system and method for suppressing electrical surges generated by an EMP promulgated from a detonated nuclear weapon. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and method for suppressing electromagnetic pulse-induced electrical system surges induced by the E1, E2, and E3 components of an electromagnetic radiation complex multi-pulse generated by the detonation of a nuclear weapon.